This week in our CSR class, we mainly talked about corporations and how they are governed. It was an eye opening experience for me personally, as truthfully, I only ever really knew what a corporation was, but when asked to define it, it was harder to do. I feel this week built upon my foundation, and I have learned more about how these corporations are formed, and also why these CEOs are pressured to make moves towards social change. What was also interesting is to see the percentage of people that are actually willing to pay for sustainability is much less than those who say they will. It is interesting because most of the people who are advocating for these things on social media, are truthfully just hypocrites, pushing for change they might believe in, but do not take action in.

The idea that stood out the most for me this week in our IES class was the talk about the economy in Italy. It has not grown as much as expected after the recession, and is very outclassed by other first world countries around the globe. The tax brackets also surprised me, showing the top bracket to get taxed almost fifty percent of their income, and the top bracket only makes over 50,000 euros a year. It seems like a low number in America, but here in Italy, it is considered high, so high in fact that they are at the top of the tax bracket, and my boss even says they could live like kings in south Italy.

I continue to progress with my internship nicely, this week even translating another listing to English. We also rented another apartment this week, and it was cool to see how the whole team always gets together for a photo, a tradition they have talked about for a while now. My relationship with my coworkers continues to grow, and I find myself more and more excited to go to work everyday. Our boss trusts us with our work now, giving us more autonomy in order to get things done, allowing us to take breaks when we need it, and to choose which way we want to accomplish our work. It feels good knowing that I have trust within the small company, and I am trusted to get done what I need to.

I find myself wandering the city more and more each day, building relationships with workers in restaurants I frequent, and learning more of the Italian culture. At work, I have made bonds with the people who serve our coffee, and they recognize us when our group walks in. It is a cool thing to see, and it makes me feel like I am becoming more welcome in a country that once seemed foreign to me. It is the same with my favorite chicken place down the street Mr. Casten and I frequent after work. We have started talking to the worker there more and more, so much in fact, that he knows what we want as soon as we walk in. It is cool to become regulars at places around Milan, and it makes me feel like I am starting to find my place within the city. It was also an interesting experience that, upon returning from Florence, I found myself happy to be back in a comfortable environment, one that felt similar to home in a sense that I knew the area around me.